Trials of the Crow
by Sharli Takekawa
Summary: The Life of Damon Salvatore from the time he was turned by Katherine until the events of Fell's Church and beyond.
1. Arise

Florence, Italy: The Renaissance.

Damon's black eyes flew open.

Darkness, complete and utter darkness.

The smell of grass and soil lingered around him as he attempted to sit up. Almost immediately his head hit something hard and a pain shot through his forehead. Wood. A lid. Damon tried to scoot over, but his body brushed against something else, something fleshy blocking his path. Another body, but whose? His mind wouldn't show him a clear picture. But somehow he knew something terrible had happened. As he strained to remember, a memory hit him like a wave crashing ashore. Katherine's dead. I found her ashes. He fought the haze in his mind to remember more. The images of what had happened after he'd found her was a blur. A name came to mind. A name he hated more than any other.

Stefan.

Stefan was the memory his mind was trying to conceal from him. He remembered them arguing over Katherine's ring. He remembered them fighting…remembered his sword entering Stefan's body…remembered Stefan raising his sword with the last of his strength…everything after that was hazy.

"Damon?" Came a weak voice, Stefan's voice. His brother was awake.

Damon remained silent, pushing up on the roof above his head. Loathing filled his heart as he attempted to free himself from his confinement.

"Damon?" Came the voice again.

Damon pushed up harder using his legs for extra leverage; smiling as the lid slid off. He sat up and was amazed by the beauty of the night. It was as though he was seeing everything for the first time. Every smell, every sight seemed magnified…sharper. Graves surrounded the coffin he and Stefan had been put inside; marble statues of angels, gargoyles, saints… shadows danced off their marble faces…seemingly bringing them to life. The sun was setting and the stars were beginning to blink their eyes. The wind blew through the trees, rustling their leaves; an almost musical sound to his ears. The funeral must not be till tomorrow, Damon thought, otherwise we'd be six feet under.

"Damon." Stefan was pulling himself towards the opening.

Damon did not answer him. His brother would have to fend for himself in this new world; Damon had no more pity for him…not that he had, had much before. He rose to his feet and bolted into the woods, dodging gravestones and statues as he went, leaving his brother far behind. This was the night; cruel, unforgiving, unmerciful…the strong survived, the weak perished…St. Stefan would perish…for what feeds off the light cannot survive in the dark. But Damon, was determined to flourish.


	2. Past is Gone

Chapter 2: Past is Gone

Damon ran a hand through his straight black hair as his eyes flowed over the gentle surface of the lake. The tranquil trickle of water running down stream overwhelmed his new senses as he thought back over the events of the past few weeks.

When he decided to tell his father he'd quite the university, he hadn't expected him to be pleased, but school had crushed his very soul; stifling his spirit and breaking his will. He and his best friend Santiago had been having the time of their lives as far as their liaisons with women went, but his studies were slipping and Damon didn't see the point in continuing to go to college when he could get just as many women in Florence with the comforts of home around him. Giuseppe hadn't disappointed him; gauntlets were thrown, his father becoming a twisted mural of anger. And then as if an angel had parted the Heavens and stepped down to end their quarreling, Katherine wisped into their kitchen. Damon knew he wanted her from the first moment he'd set eyes on her…

When he'd arrived home from college, his father had informed him that they had visitors. Giuseppe explained that the Baron von Swartzchild had brought his daughter, Katherine, to the Italian countryside in hopes that she would recuperate from a prolonged illness. The last time Damon had seen the Baron's daughter she had been quite young and very ill…Damon wasn't at all excited about her being in his home spreading her plague...but he wasn't about to get into a debate with his father about hospitality and honor. When he came into the house he was greeted by Stefan, who didn't seem himself. His little brother acted as though his mind was foggy; as though he were wondering through some silly dream that everyone else knew nothing about…but when Katherine had come into the room, Damon had instantly known why. Katherine; beautiful, innocent…with hair of white gold and eyelashes to match…eyes the color of lapis lazuli shining brightly…skin like the winter snow. Not so innocent after all, Damon would discover. She had fooled him with her faux naivety, and chosen them both.

This is not a ménage à trois, Damon thought with anger.

His mind took him back to that fateful night when she had come to him. He had been up late into the night hours. Even before he had became a vampire Damon had loved the night; it had a certain mystery that the day could never possess...as though it harbored a secret. The moonlight bathed Katherine's white dress and illuminated her skin as she stood outside his window. They did not exchange words as he helped her over the ledge. When she was secure inside his room he bent down and kissed her lips; a brief kiss that she quickly broke.

"I trust you have a reason for your visit." Damon replied sitting down on the edge of his bed.

Katherine smiled her sweet smile, leaning close to playfully tap him on the nose with the tip of her finger, "You would be right in your assumption." She giggled and spun around in a circle, enjoying the twirl of her dress as it wrapped around her legs when she stopped moving. Damon watched her with little interest as she danced around to the other side of his bed.

"Well, what have you come for?" Damon asked, impatiently.

Katherine dismissed his tone, but ceased her childlike antics, "I have come to make you like me." She replied, smiling, "I choose you, my dark prince…I choose you to be mine forever." The childlike innocence in her eyes vanished completely as she kneeled before him, the hunger of a woman staring back at him. She leaned forward, her lips lingering on his throat…leaving gentle kisses in their wake. Damon shiver…no, most definitely not a child. Her hands gripped his shoulders hard enough to leave bruises as she kissed him along his jaw line. Damon couldn't silence the moan that escaped his lips; she knew what she was doing, but Damon wanted more. He caught her by the chin and lifted her lips to his; kissing her a little rougher than she had been kissing him, his tongue parting her lips as his hand snaked around her waist and pulled her against him. But once again, Katherine's lips left his and without warning Damon felt her fangs sink into his flesh.

He winced at the pain, but it was quickly replaced by a pleasure. A feeling he could never truly describe. It was as though he was giving Katherine life, and the feeling of giving was unlike any he'd ever experienced. The moment ended all too soon, however. He had never wanted it to end, but he knew if he allowed her to continue on for much longer…he would be in danger of fading away. Damon looked into eyes; eyes like lapis lazuli. A triumphant smile spread across his lips as Katherine spoke.

"And now we seal our bond." She replied, pulling a dagger from the pocket of her dress. Damon watched curiously as she made a small cut at the base of her throat, offering it to him. Damon's eyes widened as the blood welled up from the wound, a drop of it trickling down her collar bone and onto her breast, leaving a crimson path behind it.

Katherine looked at Damon with quizzical eyes, "Drink or perish." She replied.

Damon grinned; he wasn't about to perish. He sat up and moved towards Katherine, feeling a bit light-headed as he did so, but hiding it skillfully; all the years of stumbling into the house drunk and having to convince his father that he wasn't intoxicated. Damon lowered his mouth to the porcelain skin of her breast, looking up at her mischievously before he lapped up the blood that had fallen there, his tongue following the trail of crimson back up to the wound on her neck. When he reached it he covered his mouth with it, taking in the life-giving elixir that flowed from her. He suckled the wound at her throat they way an infant would take milk from it's mother. Katherine's life was flowing into him; renewing him, giving him new life. The taste wasn't as he had imagined it. Not coppery and bitter, but rich and almost sweet like wine; he could have drank forever, but Katherine pushed him away. Damon lay down on his bed.

"Now sleep, my love. Tomorrow your whole life will be different." And then she was gone, as though she'd vanished into thin air.

Damon snapped back to the present.

He hadn't gone to sleep when she'd left. The hunger for more blood came to him full force. His veins burned and his throat felt parched and dry. His canine teeth tingled with anticipation. He had satisfied that hunger with a young girl from the Bordello. He made sure to leave a big tip for whoever was unfortunate enough to come across the mess he'd made.

Hopefully, he'd get better with time.

Come to think of it, that sensation was happening at this very moment, but returning to the Bordello was too risky so soon.

Damon looked at the sky. The night was fleeting as quickly as it had come. The sun peeked over the hills bringing a small farm house into Damon's line of vision.

How unlucky for the occupants of that farm house, he thought as he rose from his spot near the lake.

He set out towards it, leaving behind the anger he felt for Katherine and burying her memory for good.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Damon lounged at the country-style kitchen table that sat in the dining room of the farm house. The blood of the farmer and his family had eased the burning in Damon's veins, leaving him rejuvenated. Damon's eyes traveled around the room. It was a shack compared to his home, a dump, but he could never go back home. Everyone thought he was dead; showing himself would only alarm his father and their servants. They'd have him put to death for witchcraft in a heartbeat. That, Damon realized, was the only thing about this new life that was going to bother him… the secretiveness, the hiding in shadows. He had been born to stand out, always the center of attention, but with everyone believing he was dead he had to be cautious. No, going home was out of the question.

Well, looks like it's time to take care of yourself, he thought somewhat bitterly.

He looked down at the ring he wore on his right ring finger. The lapis stone shown brightly, a reminder of Katherine that he would be forever forced to carry.

Why had she killed herself? Why had she been so stupid? A question that he'd never know the answer to, but would always wonder about.

Damon rose from the table and stepped onto the porch. If he was going to make it on his own he needed some new clothes. Funeral garb wasn't going to cut it. He dusted off some leftover dirt from the graveyard. He was dressed in his finest, but it wasn't so fine now that it had been lying in a coffin for God only knows how many days.

Okay, then, he concluded clothes and a woman. I need to get my mind off Katherine entirely. No use fawning over something dead. He decided to get out of Florence for a while. He'd come back, when the gossip of he and his brothers terrible death and mysterious missing corpses died down.

Padua, he thought with a smile.

No one at the college knew of his demise as of now. He could hide out there until he decided what move to make next. He'd use up the last of his father's money and be on his way.


	3. Arrival

When he arrived in Padua nothing had changed. The university was still as dull as ever; the same old faces and mundane prattle about things that didn't matter. Mortals going about their short lives…funny how he could see how senseless it all was now. He walked up the stairs to his room and smiled at people he knew as he passed. It amused him that none of them knew of his death; news had not yet spread from Florence.

When Damon reached his room, he knocked twice and put his ear up to the door. Santiago was his roommate and they had a way of communicating whenever one of them was entertaining a lady while the other was out. When he received no response, Damon opened the door.

The room was spotless, mainly because Damon made Santiago keep it that way; if it weren't for Damon, Santiago would be living in a barn. One of the few things that he and his father had agreed on was that cleanliness was next to Godliness. Besides, what woman would want to make love in a pigpen? No respectable woman; that was for sure.

Damon set down his newly acquired bag and clothing. The sun had tired him out on his journey back to campus; he would need to feed again soon. He realized now why Katherine had stayed in her room all day; if he was this exhausted after feeding on a family of four, he couldn't imagine enduring the sun when one was feasting off of nothing but animals. 

Damon slumped down on the sofa, closing his eyes to rest for a moment, only to be awakened by the sound of approaching footsteps. 

The door to his flat opened suddenly and Damon grinned as Santiago walked inside, his arm linked with a female's, the two of them laughing. When he saw Damon he stopped in his tracks. A look of surprise lingered on his face and Damon wondered if perhaps word had gotten to him already about his death.

"Damon, I thought you were quitting the university." Santiago replied.

Damon felt relief flow through him, "I was," he recovered smoothly, "but I decided why not use the last of my father's money before I go. Money's money, there's no point in wasting it."

Santiago nodded, smiling, "I see you're thinking like me now."

Damon smiled a sly grin, "Well, I see you have a visitor so I'll leave you two alone. Perhaps Alessandra is in need of some company." 

Santiago smiled a grateful smile and Damon let himself out, closing the door behind him as he headed down the corridor. Alessandra was the headmaster's daughter; she had the face of an angel, but looks could be deceiving. She and Damon had always had a 'special' kind of respect for each other. Her father absolutely hated him, which made it all the more exciting; Damon was defiling his little girl right under his nose…in his own school.

Damon walked down the stairs and across the hallway; luckily Alessandra was standing outside her bedroom talking with some friends. He heard their excited giggles pick up as he approached.

"Ciao, ladies." Damon said, smiling one of his most dazzling smiles.

"Ciao. How was your trip, Damon?" Bianca asked, tossing her brown hair over her shoulder.

Damon leaned against the wall, shrugging nonchalantly, "I suppose you can say it was rather…dead." Damon burst out laughing, as though it were the funniest joke anyone had ever made. It amused them that they didn't know the full weight of his words.

"How is you brother?" Rosa asked, standing up straight to accentuate her curves, "He is well, no?"

"I haven't the slightest. I didn't see much of him." Damon looked into her hazel eyes.

"Well, now that you're back…I need to talk to you." Alessandra replied. 

Rosa and Bianca listened with open ears; like two young girls that wanted to hear the latest gossip. Alessandra narrowed her eyes at them kindly, "How about we go inside?" She replied. She took him by the hand, not proper by any means, but Damon allowed himself to be pulled into her bedroom. He knew perfectly well that there would be no talking involved, but he played her little game. It was important for her to maintain her reputation. Alessandra closed her friends out; their mouths wide as she slammed the door shut.

She turned around and faced him and Damon took a moment to admire all the details of her beauty; her pale skin, which flushed pink just above the cheek bones, her sky blue eyes so rare in their culture, her long black hair, which tumbled down her back in curls.

"I missed you, Damon." She said, smiling mischievously.

"Has it been me you've missed? Or us you've missed?" He asked with a smirk as he pulled her against him, his hands resting on her hips. 

"Both." Alessandra said a bit breathlessly, her lips just mere inches from his own.

Damon moved a little closer, his lips almost brushing hers as he spoke, "And what do you want to do?" He asked bluntly, enjoying the delicious torture the closeness of their bodies created. But Alessandra had never been patient and before he knew it, she had stood on tip-toe and captured his lips with hers.

That was more like it, Damon thought as he effortlessly lifted her tiny frame from the ground and carried her over to her bed; he set her down gently, lying down beside her as her hands explored the muscles of his back. He continued to kiss her as he stroked her cheek with his thumb; they were undressed within minutes, making love as only they could. Her warmth surrounded him, his heightened senses making the experience all the more intense, after about an hour he felt himself building up to his peak. He pulled her astride him and watched with a smug smile as she rode him; her breasts bouncing as he pushed inward.

"Damon!" She cried, falling forward and clinging to him desperately, she couldn't take much more…she was so close to the edge. Damon could sense it…he didn't know how he sensed it, but it was almost as though he could see inside her mind…feel everything she felt. He quickened his pace to drive her over the edge, releasing himself at the same time she did…but as the wave of pleasure overtook him, something happened…the edges of his vision blurred and turned red and at that moment something primal and almost animal overtook him…a insuppressible urge to bite down on that white swan-like throat. He felt his fangs sink into her neck without much force and blood gushed down his throat, giving him renewed strength as he continued to move inside her…and then there was nothing but the feeding…nothing but her blood in his mouth…washing all human thought from his mind…

Alessandra's blood-curdling scream ripped him from his trance. A terrible scream, one of pain and terror, it woke Damon up, pushing the animal side of him away. Mechanically, he released her neck and quickly covered her mouth with his hands.

"Hush." he said sharply, panic racing through him.

Alessandra's eyelashes were spiked with tears, as her blue pools looked up at him. Damon fought to gain composure over himself, if he wasn't calm, there was no hope to calm her.

"It's alright." Damon said, soothingly, looking into her eyes, "I am going to uncover your mouth now. If you scream, there will be consequences." His voice was incredibly relaxed…but his words carried a heavy warning with them. It wasn't a threat; he was stating a fact…if she screamed he would kill her. He uncovered her mouth slowly…

"Damon, what have you..." she trailed off, sniffling in between words. 

"I'm a vampire." Damon stated, his voice still completely at ease, "And I can't have you spreading that around. Now the way I see it is we have two options. One: I can trust you not to tell everyone in school about me and my secret or two: I can kill you now."

"I won't tell." Alessandra cried softly, "I promise…"

But her mind said something completely different…she would tell, she was frightened and she wanted him to pay for hurting her, "As of this moment option two is looking more appealing because I am quite hungry, and I don't know if I can trust you with the other. You're the kind of girl who tells." Damon raised his eyebrows at her.

"Don't kill me." Alessandra replied, "Please." it came out a sob.

Damon looked into her sky blue eyes; the complete opposite of his own. His were dark and bottomless and hers were like heaven…beautiful…and despite his harsh words, he did have a fondness for this girl.

He struggled to remembered a conversation he had, had with Katherine when she'd first told him her secret. Something about influencing the minds of mortals…he grinned as her words came back to him in a rush, "Weaker minds are easily influenced. All it takes is a thought and their memories can be rewritten…if you have enough power of course…since I feed from animals I haven't the strength for that…"

Damon smiled.

He looked down into her eyes, pronouncing each word deliberately, "Alessandra, I am not a vampire. I came over this afternoon and we made love as usual. The bite marks on your neck were the result of some erotic experimentation that got carried away. Just wear high collar dresses this week and no one will ever know." Damon paused, hoping this worked, " Repeat."

She was silent for a moment, but the as if someone had wiped her mind clean with a rag she said, "You are not a vampire. We spent the afternoon making love, but we got carried away. I will wear high collar dresses this week."

"Good." Damon replied, sensing from her mind that it had worked completely. He was going to enjoy this mind influencing stuff; it had proved to be extremely effective.

Alessandra blinked a few times, confused, and then she looked up at him. He smiled at her and got out of bed, finding his pants and pulling them back on his waist. Alessandra lay back on the pillows as he continued getting dressed, "You were wonderful." She replied dreamily.

"Likewise." Damon said as he dropped a kiss on her forehead. He shrugged into his shirt as he walked toward the door; reaching for the handle once he had everything back in appropriate order.

He almost burst into laughter as Rosa and Bianca nearly toppled into the room, landing on the marble floor with a loud SMACK!

Alessandra hurried to the door to see what the commotion was. The sheets wrapped around her nude body. When she saw the pair of them collecting themselves off the floor, she narrowed her blue eyes and scolded them angrily, "That's what happens when you eavesdrop."

"I'll see you later, Alessandra. Ciao." Damon said as he walked past them. He could almost feel their eyes on his back.


	4. Discovered

When Damon returned to his room, Santiago was still entertaining the woman from earlier that day. He could hear them through the walls, thoroughly enjoying themselves…but he wasn't about to continue biding time by walking around campus. He sighed and sat down at his desk, pulling his journal from drawer. He and Santiago had always competed where girls were concerned, good naturedly of course. Presently, Damon was in the lead. Dipping his pen in black ink, he began to write...

_September 23_

My life has changed drastically over the last few weeks. I am not yet sure whether it is for better or worse. While in Florence I visited home. When I arrived we had a guest; a guest I grew quite fond of very quickly. Katherine von Swartzchild; probably one of the most beautiful creatures I've ever had the pleasure of courting. Everything seemed to be going well; there was an attraction between us that could not be extinguished. I thought she was mine for the taking…but then I was informed that my father and hers were proposing marriage plans. Not marriage plans between she and I, no…instead plans of marriage between she and St. Stefan. My brother and I were attracted to the same woman, and neither of us was willing to surrender gracefully. The quarrel between us worsened as time continued. Katherine was spending about as much time with my brother as she was with me and eventually jealousy reared its head. We decided it was only fair that she chose between us; she came to me in the night and gave me a gift, proclaiming me as her choice…but that morning I learned that my brother and I had been given the same gift. When we demanded an explanation from Katherine she replied that we were all going to be "joyous companions forever". Both my brother and I refused and she ran away in a fluster. The next morning I went to her home to speak with her, only to be followed by Stefan. Gurden, her German maid, refused to reveal her whereabouts to me, but she was more than willing to divulge them to Stefan. It turned out that Katherine had wept all night, and gone out into the garden early that morning. Coming together for the first time in our entire lives, my brother and I searched for her. We found her, but not in the condition we had hoped. Her remains were scattered all over the garden; along with a note. It said that she hoped her death would allow us to reconcile…what a joke…it had the opposite effect…but I cannot share what happened next, for fear it will be discovered. My memory is still a bit foggy in places…but one thing is for certain, I am setting out on my own. After the money runs out I am leaving Padua and Florence, this time for good. I think I might take Alessandra with me for companionship. She and I are a good pairing. I believe I could possibly tolerate her for a century or two, but only time will tell. Make no mistake, I am not falling in love, we just have similar spirits. She is nothing to me and I am nothing to her; this is the way it must stay. 

Damon closed the journal and slipped it back into the drawer as a knock sounded on the door. He stood up lazily and walked over to open it.  
He was rather alarmed to see Rosa and Bianca standing before him; smiles upon their faces.

"Ladies, it's rather late." Damon said, not concealing his annoyance.

Bianca flipped her coffee colored hair, "Perhaps you will not be so quick to turn us away once you hear what we have to say."

Damon was not intrigued, "What do you want?" He said curtly.

"I think you know what we want." Rosa piped up, "We want what you give to Alessandra."

Damon threw back his head and laughed, "Surely, you must be joking."

Bianca raised a delicate eyebrow, "No, Damon, we're very serious and if you won't we can make you change your mind."

"Really, not that I doubt you but how?" Damon smiled arrogantly.

"We know all about you. We were listening this afternoon. You're a vampire, Damon and we can tell." Rosa ran a hand through coppery curls.

"Well, that certainly is an unflattering fact about me that I don't want the world to know." His eyes were the eyes of a hunter as he leaned against the door frame, "And yet here you stand, unafraid…despite knowing what I am?"

The girls stared at him dumbly.

"Alright, we have an accord." Damon replied. The two girls were obviously suffering from severe stupidity. What made them think they could persist to order him about? Especially knowing what he was? "Meet me out in the clearing at midnight." Damon said looking up at the silvery orb in the sky.

The girls smiled excitedly and walked away.


End file.
